The value of serum laminin P1 in monitoring disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Hyperprolactinemia in systemic lupus erythematosus?

The objective of this project was to determine the prevalence of hyperprolactinemia (HPRL) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to evaluate the role of prolactin (PRL) as a disease-activity marker. We determined PRL in a cohort of 182 patients with SLE. Basal prolactin levels and clinical data (disease-activity index, sero-activity, medications) were analyzed in all patients. The findings show only mildly elevated PRL levels in four SLE-patients and normaprolactinemia in 98% (n = 178), without any association with disease activity. Our results differ from previous studies. HPRL appears not to be prevalent in SLE, nor to be associated with disease activity.

Laminin concentrations in serum and cerebrospinal fluid in aging and Alzheimer's disease

Laminin, a basement membrane protein, and a potent promoter of neurite outgrowth, surrounds all peripheral nerves. It appears in the central nervous system during development and reappears in response to injury. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), there is a progressive loss of neurons in specific areas of the brain along with the presence of an increased number of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Laminin levels have been shown to be increased in injury, so we undertook to examine levels of laminin by radioimmunoassay (RIA), in cerebrospinal fluid and serum of patients with AD and age-matched controls. No difference in the CSF and serum laminin concentrations was found between Alzheimer's disease and age-matched controls. We found a lack of correlation between severity of clinical dementia and laminin concentrations. Finally, we show that the CSF and serum laminin concentrations increase with age.